Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe tribal officials decided Wednesday they weren’t going to once again barricade four roads on their reservation this week as they had threatened.
“The tribe based its decision on its responsibility to ensure the safe delivery of services for all residents within our reservation boundaries while continuing to enforce tribal law to ensure the protection of our reservation,” tribal officials said in a statement.
The barricades would have restricted access to dozens of non-tribal properties within the reservation boundaries.
The conflict started in January 2023 when tribal officials barricaded four roads on the reservation — Elsie Lake Lane, Center Sugarbush Lane, East Ross Allen Lake Lane and Annie Sunn Lane — ending access for dozens of non-tribal property owners.
Tribal President John Johnson, Sr. had stated that the roads were built illegally decades ago and leases for non-tribal citizens to use them had expired long ago. He said tribal requests to renegotiate the leases were ignored.
“The Tribe remains committed to finding solutions with the Lac du Flambeau Town Board, despite their reluctance to meet with the tribe, to address this ongoing dispute,” tribal officials said in a statement Wednesday.
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Frank Vaisvilas is a former Report for America corps member who covers Native American issues in Wisconsin based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact him at fvaisvilas@gannett.com or 815-260-2262. Follow him on Twitter at @vaisvilas_frank.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tribal officials decide not to barricade roads in northern Wisconsin